


My Nutcracker

by Asterhythm



Series: Winter Lander [4]
Category: Barbie in The Nutcracker (2001), TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Victorian, Beomgyu Hates Spiders, Christmas, F/M, Inspired by Barbie in The Nutcracker (2001), POV Second Person, Self-Insert, Soobin loves Bread, The Author Makes A Cameo For No Reason Other Than Self Indulgence, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-11 06:54:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,715
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28467150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Asterhythm/pseuds/Asterhythm
Summary: Take the plot of "Barbie in the Nutcracker," throw in the biggest rookie K-Pop group known to mankind, blend it up and you get this Christmas treat!You are the girl in the Nutcracker story, given a Nutcracker as a gift during a Christmas party being held in your home. But when the clock rings 5:53 in the morning, the Nutcracker comes to life and fights against a Mouse King! What adventures will happen next? Will the kingdom be saved? Will you and the Nutcracker ever find the Sugarplum Princess?
Relationships: Huening Kai/Original Female Character(s)
Series: Winter Lander [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2031571
Kudos: 4





	My Nutcracker

**Author's Note:**

  * For [rieoluv](https://archiveofourown.org/users/rieoluv/gifts).



> A few notes about this AU before I get started:
> 
> \-- The requester asked if I had seen the “Barbie in the Nutcracker” movie, and wanted a plot similar to that. I had not, so I watched it! I took that plot, added some elements from the original Nutcracker ballet (which, as a classical musician, I am VERY familiar with and I have played before!), plugged all of the plot holes I could find, and this was the result. Hopefully you enjoy it!  
> \-- I typically write my self-inserts in second person (you do the action, etc) but this one I wrote in first person (I do the action) to see if that flows better, and also to make sure it hits my target audience. In addition, I usually write my self-inserts as completely gender neutral, but for my sake and for ease of writing this thing, this time the self-insert is strictly a girl. You can be whatever flavor of girl you want to be -- any culture, any race, demigirl, trans girl, it doesn’t matter to me, but the self-insert I will be referred to with she/her pronouns. This is just a heads up. The I heroine is also not named, and true to my writing style, there are no Y/Ns to be found.  
> \-- Yes I have a cameo role, don’t @ me  
> \-- We obviously talk a lot about Christmas in this one! The Christmas in this sense is strictly Victorian/Dickens; there are no mentions of Santa Claus OR Jesus, just happy times had by all and gathering with friends and family.

_ My Nutcracker  
Genre: Oneshot  
Word Count: 6695  
Band: TXT  
Ship: HueningkaiXReader  
Written: December 22-31, 2020  
Spice Alert: None  
For: RGimz18 _

Christmas is the most wonderful time of year, because I get to see all of my friends and family. They come from far and wide to my grandparents’ house in the country. My grandfather was once a world traveler who wrote many books about his journeys, but he has long since retired, and now the travels come to him. I live with him and my grandma, and my little brother Tommy, in a big house on a farm. 

It is Christmas Eve, and visitors are gathering in the foyer. Grandma has prepared a beautiful Christmas dress for me. I poke my head around the guests, looking for one person in particular, and I find him. “Terry!”

“Well, there you are!” Terry calls out as I run into his arms. Terry is like an older brother to me. He travels the globe like my father once did, and he writes me postcards! But it’s much more fun to have him here in person at Christmas. “Where’s your brother?”

“Probably eating candies off the Christmas tree again.”

“Well, we can’t have that, now can we?” Terry pulls me through the crowd, and I curtsy at everybody I pass. Sure enough, when we enter the parlor, Tommy is sitting under the huge Christmas tree. “Tommy,” Terry calls out, “if you stop eating candy for a minute, I can give you an early Christmas gift.”

“Now, Terrance.” I know that voice. It is the voice of my grandfather, and he enters the room, looking all stern at Terry. “You know better than to bring dolls and playthings to these children. They are all grown up now.”

“Oh, I didn’t bring playthings,” Terry insists. “I brought cultural items of good worth and learning. Would you like to see?” And he gifts our entire family with an encyclopedia, newly updated, good for research and learning. “And from Germany, I bring these,” Terry says, giving both me and Tommy our own presents. “The Germans really know how to celebrate Christmas, you know. They are the ones who invented the Christmas tree!”

“What is this?” Tommy asks as he pulls out a slender box with many doors.

“It is an advent calendar,” Terry explains. “The Germans fill the doors with candy, but only one door can be opened per day, leading up to Christmas.” 

“I much prefer this to you sneaking candies off the tree!” Grandfather says with his big, booming voice, and I open my box. Inside is a doll -- well, it kind of looks like a doll, but it’s a silly doll. He looks like a wooden soldier, with a big head, a fluffy white beard, and a strange mouth. 

“And for you, a nutcracker,” Terry explains. “They are a symbol of good luck and Christmas spirit, but can also literally crack nuts.” He shows me that the Nutcracker’s jaw is strong enough to crack a nut. “Very useful in the kitchen.”

“How silly looking and ugly,” Grandfather says. “We have much more practical nutcrackers in this house.”

“He may be ugly on the outside, but on the inside, he has the heart of a prince.” Terry smiles at me. “He is yours.”

“Oh, I love him,” I say, inspecting all of the Nutcracker’s details. Good luck and Christmas spirit, huh? He certainly looks like it. His head might be ugly, but I find it kind of handsome.

“I wanna see,” Tommy calls out, and before I know it, he’s got my Nutcracker by the head, pulling on him. 

“No, let go!” I yell back, but it’s too late. Tommy trips over his own feet, and the Nutcracker falls to the floor. I rush to pick it up, but the jaw is now broken. I pull a ribbon from my outfit and tie it around the Nutcracker’s head, keeping the jaw in place.

“I’m sure there’s a way to fix this,” Terry explains, calm as ever.

“Good,” Grandfather says. “It’s broken. Now it can stay out of this house, and my granddaughter can learn proper things like how to care for a household.”

“I don’t want to care for a household,” I explain to my Grandfather for the umpteenth time. “I want to travel around the world, like you did, like Terry does.”

“The world is no place for a woman,” Grandfather says back to me. “It is safe and sound here at home, where you belong.”

“Oh, you  _ should  _ get out and see the world,” Terry says. “Maybe next year, you can come with me. There’s a world full of wonders out there, and you deserve to experience them.”

The rest of the night is a wonderful blur! I put the Nutcracker in the curio for safekeeping, and I go to play with the other children. I’m nearly an adult, but it is still fun to play games. Then Terry shows us some magic tricks! The dinner is completed, and all of the guests eat together at a long table. Finally, a string quartet comes by and plays music, and everybody dances together. When the party’s over, many people go home, but there are others who have come from far away. They stay in the house, and I have to sleep in the parlor tonight, as there are guests sleeping in my bed. 

I sleep peacefully until just before six in the morning, when I hear the grandfather clock chime the hour. But when I look at the clock, it says 5:53 instead of 6:00. How peculiar. Then I hear a rattling coming from the corner. When I look there are mice all over the curio, and they are trying to get inside!

The glass curio door swings open, and my Nutcracker stands, with my ribbon around his head, sword drawn. “En garde!” he yells, and I know I must be dreaming, because nutcrackers do not talk. And neither do mice, for they begin to shout as well.

“We meet again, Nutcracker!” says the biggest of the mice. He wears a crown, so he must be their King. “I have come to finish you off once and for all!”

“You couldn’t have waited until after the holidays? I’ve been having such a lovely time,” the Nutcracker says as he and the Mouse King get into a sword fight. “In fact, I was a present this year, to a lovely girl who is almost a woman.” And I find myself blushing. I was thankful for Terry’s gift, but it turns out Terry’s gift was thankful for me as well!

“Excuse me,” I say, standing up. “I don’t know who you are or what you want, but that Nutcracker was a gift to me. Please don’t fight him!”

“Oh, look, someone else in our way!” the Mouse King yells in his tiny little voice. 

“You may be a Mouse King, but you are not welcome in my house!”

“Perhaps if you were the size of a mouse, then you could see things through my eyes!” The Mouse King takes out a magic wand and waves it at me. Blue sparks fly out of it and surround me. I close my eyes, and when I open them, I see that I have shrunk to the size of the Mouse King and the Nutcracker! 

“Now I’ve got you!” the Mouse King yells, and he starts running toward me! Oh, no. This dream is getting more peculiar and peculiar by the minute! So I do the only thing I can think of to do: I take off my shoe and throw it at the Mouse King. It’s the only weapon I have!

“You stay away!”

“Yeooowch!” the Mouse King yells as my shoe strikes him in the eye. “You -- you’ll pay for that!” And he runs back through the hole in the wall, all of his mousey lackeys following behind him. 

I breathe a  _ huge  _ sigh of relief, and then I go to collect my shoe. But then I realize that I’m  _ still  _ small! Oh, what will happen if I’m stuck like this? Grandfather will be so mad! And tomorrow is Christmas! I won’t be able to open any of my other gifts!

“That was awfully brave of you.” I look up and I see my Nutcracker, smiling down at me. He looks exactly like he did before, with his broken jaw and my ribbon around his head, but he just...moves and talks now. 

“Aww, thank you.” I stand up; he is a bit taller than me, but his proportions are all off. “I just...I couldn’t stand to see those mice fighting you, especially when you were my Christmas present. When I get big and tall again, I promise I’ll fix your jaw.”

“Oh, you might be able to fix more than that. My hands are just these wooden balls, I can’t grab anything at all other than my sword. There is something around my neck. Are you able to remove it?”

I’m just barely able to reach, but I see there is another ribbon there, fastened with a snowflake. And when I remove it from around the Nutcracker’s neck, he starts to glow the same color blue that the Mouse King’s magic was. I have to shield my eyes, because it’s so bright. But when the blue fades...the Nutcracker is still there, but he has turned into a  _ very  _ handsome young man. His brown hair is styled perfectly, and his brown eyes are friendly and bright. He is still wearing the Nutcracker’s clothing, but now it is all fabric, all real, instead of wood. 

“You’re a real person?” I ask.

The Nutcracker nods. 

“That’s amazing! Who are you? What’s your name? Did Terry know you were real when he bought you?”

The Nutcracker shakes his head. “I remember very, very little. The choker around my neck was a curse, put on me by the Mouse King. Now, you have removed that curse, and you have freed me from his clutches. But there is still so much more to do. The world I come from, the Kingdom of Feyeriya, is in grave danger. It is under the control of the Mouse King, and we must do something to save it. But also, we have to defeat him because that is the only way to stop his magic and to return you to full size. Will you come with me?”

“I suppose I don’t have much of a choice...but I will travel with you, Mr. Nutcracker.” And I take his arm, and he escorts me through the hole in the wall. Typically the mice in my house escape through here, but we walk for a few seconds in the darkness until suddenly, everything changes around us. We’re soon in a frozen land, where everything is covered in a blanket of white, and there are fir trees as far as the eye can see. 

“The Feyeriya Kingdom was once ruled over by a kind and gentle king,” the Nutcracker explains as we arrive in the snowy clearing. “Nobody knows exactly where the Mouse King came from, but all of a sudden, the King disappeared, and the Mouse became king instead. Nobody could find the king or his son, the Prince. The Mouse King has been starving the people and wrecking every town in the kingdom, and he will stop at nothing until all of Feyeriya is destroyed.”

“That’s horrible. What can we do? Should we try to find the King, or the Prince?”   


The Nutcracker shakes his head. “Our only hope lies in a legend. They say the Sugarplum Princess lives on Magic Island, across a sea of storms. Only she can defeat the Mouse King’s magic.”

“So it’s her we need to look for…” I look up and see that there are snowflakes falling, but each one is like its own little person! It has a voice and a face, and all of the snowflakes giggle and sing as they fall to the ground. “Oh, how fascinating! I didn’t know snowflakes could sing!” And I dance in the shallow snow, my long Christmas dress skirting the ground, but I am neither wet nor cold. 

The snowflakes dance around me, and then they rush in front of me, carving a path ahead of me to a cave. A grand ice carriage is there, with an ice horse tethered to it. “Thank you!” I say to the snowflakes as the Nutcracker and I climb into the carriage. 

“Take us to Feyeriya,” the Nutcracker says, and the horse whinnies and takes us on our way. And while I ride on through the Kingdom, I get a chance to talk to my Nutcracker. I learn that, for the most part, he does not remember his past, but he enjoys dancing, just like I do! He has completed all of his studies, but he still doesn’t know what he wants to be when he grows up. And I tell him that’s okay, because I still don’t know what I want to be when I grow up either. 

We finally make our way away from the snow and into a small town. It looks like the Mouse King has been here, because most of the buildings have been destroyed. As we arrive in the center, a tall man with blue hair comes out of the only building that hasn’t been flattened. “Well, who do we have here?”

“I am the Nutcracker, and this is my escort,” the Nutcracker explains. “Who might you be?”

“My name is Soobin, and I am the baker of this fair town. But there’s no more town to bake for. All of the residents fled two days ago, when the Mouse King sent his bat minion Gyu to destroy the town.” He shudders. “Gyu is a nasty one, that’s for sure. He brought lots of other bats with him! Now it’s just me here, with bread that nobody will eat. Wait -- will you eat my bread?”

“I am kind of hungry,” I say, and Soobin rushes inside to bring us fresh bread. It is soft and fluffy, and it tastes delicious! “This is amazing!”

“Come with us,” the Nutcracker says. “We are journeying to Magic Island, across a sea of storms, to find the Sugarplum Princess. She will set everything right.”

“Good, because Prince Kai sure isn’t,” Soobin says with a grumble as he takes a seat in the carriage, bringing a bag of bread with him. “In my opinion, he’s not much of a prince. He just let the Mouse King take over and did nothing about it.”

I notice the Nutcracker is looking away from Soobin and is very quiet, so I say, “Well, we will have to find the Sugarplum Princess and go from there.” And so, our ice horse journeys onward, over hill and dale, as our new friend Soobin shares his bread with us. 

We ride onward until I see something flying through the sky with black wings. “Uh-oh. Is that a bat?”

“It must be Gyu and his bat minions!” The Nutcracker takes the reins, and the horse gallops faster and faster over the land. We ride until we see a small fortress, and we fly through the gates and into the courtyard. There are soldiers all around, and they aim with their guns and fire at the bats! Soon enough, all of the bats have flown away, and we are safe.

“Halt!” I hear someone call out in a very familiar voice. When I look, I see it’s Terry! He’s dressed in all this fancy military clothing. 

“Terry? What are you doing here?”

“Hmm? I don’t understand, my name is not Terry.”

“Oh. Sorry.” I guess it’s not him after all. But when I look over at the Nutcracker, he can’t take his eyes off of this Terry-Not-Terry for some reason. Hmm. I wonder why?

“What in blue blazes is going on here?” I hear a voice say. A tall, robed figure steps forward, brandishing a sword. Their blue military coat has all sorts of badges and buttons on it. “Captain Kang, what is the meaning of this? These strangers who have just happened upon our enclave...they must be  _ spies  _ of the Mouse King!”

“We’re not spies!” I yell.

“Hmph. That’s what everybody says. We will be taking you in for interrogation.” And so, we are led by the soldiers into their main building. I learn that the Terry lookalike is actually Captain Taehyun Kang of the Royal Guard. He and the soldiers have been stationed here to fight against the Mouse King and his minions. 

“And the leader of our operation, who has fought in countless battles before, Major Rhythm,” Captain Taehyun says, motioning to the tall person with the cape.

“Oh, balderdash. That was all in a past life.” Major Rhythm thrusts their sword towards us. “Now, spies. Answer for yourselves.”

The Nutcracker holds up his hand. He is seemingly calm through this entire ordeal. “I am the Nutcracker. This is my escort, and behind us is Soobin the baker. We are traversing the land of Feyeriya, on a search for the Sugarplum Princess. She lives on Magic Island, across a sea of storms.”

“Oh, Prince Kai talked about the Sugarplum Princess all the time!” Taehyun chimes in. “We were the best of friends, you know. We grew up together. The three of you aren’t spies after all.” He pauses. “Do you know what became of Prince Kai?”

The Nutcracker looks at his feet. “The Mouse King destroyed him.”

“That may be true,” Major Rhythm says, hand still on their blade, “but this doesn’t mean we should trust their story. The Sugarplum Princess? Sounds like something out of one of Prince Kai’s daydreams. If it weren’t for that useless boy, we wouldn’t be stuck with the Mouse King making everybody into knickknacks!”

“You make the prince sound pretty awful,” the Nutcracker says. 

“If your story is true,” Captain Taehyun says, “then you should wait to travel until the morning. The sun is starting to set.” And he takes us to rooms for the night. As I take off my shoes and dress myself in the nightgown left for me, I wonder: what time really is it? Have I been dreaming this entire time? 

I sleep for a few hours, and when I wake up, I’m still in this fairy tale land of snow and mouse kings. Since I can’t sleep, I ponder my situation. The King once ruled over the land, but then the Mouse King took over. Where is the King now? And whatever happened to Prince Kai? Shouldn’t he have just come in and saved the day?

And then I understand. 

When I exit my room, the Nutcracker is sitting in the salon, still handsome as ever, reading a nearby book. “You couldn’t sleep either?”

“Of course not. It’s too exciting to be here. Isn’t it, Kai?”

He looks surprised for a moment, then puts his book down. “You figured me out.”

“It wasn’t hard.” I pull up a chair. “I want to know your story, Kai. But I also want you to know that I do not blame you for any of this. Because you are my Nutcracker.”

He looks away for a moment, then takes my hand and begins his story. Years ago, the Mouse King hadn’t been a Mouse at all, but the King’s advisor, a wise man named Yeonjun who had sat by his right hand ever since his rule had begun. The royal family are the only ones in the kingdom who can use magic, but the advisor had wanted the power for himself. The king and his advisor had gotten into a big fight, and the King had no choice but to turn Yeonjun into a mouse, as a temporary measure so he could stay locked up and think about his actions. However, the spell did turn Yeonjun into a mouse, but a full size one. Yeonjun was able to overpower the King, and nobody knew where he was now. 

“Then he came after me,” Kai explains to me. “I was his slave for five long years while his rule began. Then, I became of age, and I fought back against him. I told him that the throne was rightfully mine, now that I was of age and could be crowned king. That’s when he cursed me with that choker you removed from my neck. I became a nutcracker, unable to take the choker off myself, and he sent me far, far away.”

“That’s horrible,” I think out loud. “But I don’t think all those bad things about you are true. You were locked up for so long. You did what you could to help your people. And you’re doing what you can now.”

Kai smiles at me, then takes my hand. “Thank you. I never thought I could forgive myself for how all of this happened. But you’re making it possible with every step I take.” And we talk for a while in the morning, and I make some tea in a nearby kitchen, and we relax until the soldiers are awake.

Major Rhythm then spreads out a map on a table, taking charge of the situation. “The sea of storms that Prince Kai once spoke of is most likely on the Northern Shore. Many a boat travels off the Northern Shore only to never be seen again. We should travel to the port town of New Rules and see about using one of the military boats.” 

“I thought you were opposed to this entire operation, Major,” Captain Taehyun says.

“Not if I’m leading. Tally ho, gang! Captain Taehyun, you will come with me and this Nutcracker and his escort. If this legend is true, we might actually finally defeat this Mouse King!”

We all go to the ice carriage, where the horse is still waiting for us. Soobin stays at the military compost to help with their food needs, so the Nutcracker (really Prince Kai) gets in the carriage, as well as the Captain and Major. With a whip and a crack, we dash across the land, traveling far and wide until we arrive at the town on the coast. 

As we ride, I get to hear more about Major Rhythm and the travels and conquests and battles they have been a part of. There are tales of grand crews and pirate ships and cannons and at least one narrowly avoided death. Captain Taehyun keeps interrupting to correct them when the stories get a bit fish-sized. And the whole time, Kai sits by me with a smile on his face. I have to wonder...when was the last time he had a smile on his face this big? It’s probably been years. 

He’s so kind and gentle that I couldn’t ever believe he could have caused some of this mess. Kai doesn’t deserve the blame he’s getting. 

We arrive in the small port town of New Rules, and Major Rhythm and Captain Taehyun take us to talk with some of the military officers stationed there. They call themselves the Bangtan Unit, and they are led by a tall man who exudes confidence and control at all times. “We will have a boat ready for you by sundown tonight, and you may sail tomorrow.”

“Thank you, Colonel Namjoon,” Major Rhythm says. “So until then, what shall we do?”

The ground suddenly shakes with no warning. I look up and see a  _ massive  _ black colored monster on the horizon, and it’s coming  _ straight  _ towards us! And I do all I can think of to do -- I point and I scream.

I hear Major Rhythm’s voice. “What’s she carrying on about now, she probably saw a snake or a rock giant or a --” 

“SPIDER!!!” Kai yells as the huge, eight legged spider starts walking down Main Street. It’s just like a scene from one of those horror novels my Grandfather doesn’t like me reading! Kai takes my hand, and we run away as fast as we can, ducking into an alleyway. 

“What is a huge spider doing here?”

“Actually, I have the answer to that.” We both look up, and there’s a bat, hanging from a fire escape.

“Aren’t you one of the Mouse King’s henchmen?” I ask. “He has a bunch of mice and bats who do what he wants.”   


“I am.” The bat starts  _ crying.  _ “My name is Gyu. I’m supposed to be at the right hand of the Mouse King. But he’s not happy with me, because I can’t stop you guys from finding the Sugarplum Princess. So he created this huge spider and put me in charge of it. There’s just one problem. I hate spiders! Oh, I am  _ so  _ miserable.”

Kai smiles. “The Mouse King has made a bunch of us miserable. But there’s not much we can do about a spider this size, except run away.”

“Sounds like a plan!” We duck out of the alley and reunite with the Major and Captain, and the five of us -- Gyu included for some reason -- jump into the ice carriage, galloping away from the spider and the Town of New Rules. I hold on tight, but I watch as the boats go by, and it feels like our chances of going to Magic Island are also disappearing.

“How are we going to get across the Sea of Storms now?” I ask just as a cold winter wind suddenly blows in. I feel something cold sting my cheek, and when I look up, I see it’s the same snowflakes from yesterday, the ones I had danced with! “What are you all doing here?”

The snowflakes swirl all around us, and then more and more fill the town, like there’s a winter storm blowing in. There are so many that I can’t count them! They build a giant ice wall, blocking off the spider and keeping it contained. And then, they blow out to sea. When the snowflakes hit the sea, the water freezes immediately! Major Rhythm drives the carriage to the shore, and when they test the ice, it is frozen solid. “We can travel across the ice! We don’t need a boat now, as long as we move quickly.” And we all hop back in the carriage, and Major Rhythm leads the horse across the ice and across the sea.

“It’s so much colder now,” Kai whispers to me, and I hold his hand. When I hold it, neither one of us seems as cold. 

“It is. But the cold will lift soon. We’ll be at Magic Island, and we can find the Sugarplum Princess, and she can turn the kingdom back to normal and get me home.”

“I hope so.” Kai gives me a hug, and if I thought his hands were warm, it is  _ so  _ much warmer in his arms! I wonder if I could stay here forever. Then I think about it. Even if this is only in my dreams, this is a much bigger adventure than anything I’ve ever been on. And it was Kai, my Nutcracker, who made it possible. 

Before long, we can see the island’s shore. The carriage drives right up the coast to the middle of the island, and before long, everything warms up and the water melts behind us. Most of us disembark, though Gyu stays on the carriage, not wanting to interrupt our search. The island is sunny, with fruit trees galore and green, green grass. But I had thought we would see a huge castle, or even a small house, where the Sugarplum Princess lives. The island isn’t very big, and I don’t see any buildings anywhere. 

“Where is she?” I ask, tears forming in my eyes. 

“One step at a time,” Major Rhythm says. “We still have a lot of ground to cover. I say we split up.”

“Actually,” Captain Taehyun says, “I think the Nutcracker should lead us. He’s the reason we’ve made it this far.”

“I’m half the reason,” Kai says, hugging me by the shoulders. 

Major Rhythm shakes their head. “I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

Captain Taehyun smirks at the Major. “Well, maybe you should loosen up a little, Aster.”

“Can it, Tyun.”

We hear a huge noise behind us, and we turn to find a huge black carriage, driven by an iron horse. And the Mouse King himself is sitting in the carriage. “Well well well. Looks like I didn’t need a map to try and find the Sugarplum Princess anyway. I just needed all of you to lead me to her instead!”

“How did you find us?” Kai asks.

“I followed Gyu.” The Mouse King sneers. “I always know where you are, Gyu. You cannot escape me.”

Gyu sticks his bat head out from inside the carriage. “I said I would follow you anywhere, Yeonjun, but this is too much! You know I can’t handle spiders!”

The Mouse King draws his sword, ignoring Gyu. “Let’s finish this, Nutcracker. Once and for all. You and me, sword to sword. Whoever wins will be King of Feyeriya!”

“Stay here,” Kai whispers to me, and then he draws his sword. Now that Kai is human again, he stands a much better chance at defeating the Mouse King. He holds his sword steady, and I notice how brave he looks! It’s another side of Kai that I instantly appreciate. And as he goes toe to toe with the Mouse King, the rest of us left out of his duel, I realize that I don’t want him to lose.

I want him to win. I want him to take back the crown. And then...I wish I could stay with him.

But the Mouse King plays a dirty trick, not only pulling out his sword, but his magic wand as well. Blue sparks fly out of his wand as they did before, and Kai barely dodges them before he trips over his own feet. And I can’t take it anymore. If the Mouse King is going to play dirty, then I’m going to help Kai. This is our adventure, and I will not just sit idly by like my grandfather wants me to!

The Mouse King knocks Kai’s sword out of his hands with his magic wand. He towers over Kai, wand poised, ready to strike. I run forward, grabbing the hem of my Christmas dress so that it doesn’t catch on the ground, and I put my arm in between the Mouse King and Kai. 

“You will stand back.”

“Oh, isn’t it the little girl who threw her shoe at me?”

I grab Kai’s sword from the ground and wave it at the Mouse King. “I’m more than that. I am a capable traveler who has helped Kai get this far! And you will STAY AWAY from him!” 

And then I nearly drop Kai’s sword, because it starts  _ glowing.  _ This glow is a bright pink color, not blue like the magic that the Mouse King uses. But I hang onto the sword, and the pink glow envelops everything. It’s so bright that I have to close my eyes. When I can open them again, I notice that I’m wearing a new dress, glittering and gossamer in pink and purple colors. 

The Mouse King is in front of me, paws up in front of his face, in shock. “You’re the --  _ you’re the Sugarplum Princess?” _

I am? But I look down at my dress, feeling sugar and spice spark like electricity across my skin. Is this what it means to be a princess? Is the Mouse King right? But when I look back at Kai, he’s still on the ground, watching me with wide eyes, completely in shock. 

And then he smiles. 

It’s his smile that changes everything for me. It makes me sure that, yes, I am the Sugarplum Princess. I’m not sure how I got here, or how this works. Perhaps this is all still a strange dream. But Kai knows I am the Princess. 

“If I am the Sugarplum Princess,” I announce, “then I will put an end to this, right here, right now.” And I take the sword and I plunge it into the ground. The sword sends off a big pink shockwave, and then, magic comes out of it and goes into the ground. The magic reaches across Magic Island, across the Sea of Storms to Feyeriya, and then all over the land. I can feel the land changing, know that the towns are being repaired by my magic, that the Mouse King’s magic is being undone with every breath I take. Sure enough, the pink magic encases the Mouse King, and he transforms into a handsome man with long pink hair. 

He bows to me. “I have wronged you, Sugarplum Princess. I have wrong you and Prince Kai and everybody of Feyeriya. Will you forgive me?”

“I’m not the one you should be asking for forgiveness,” I say, looking back at Prince Kai. “You have a lot of work to do. But I think, if you do so humbly, then everybody can live happily ever after.”

“I can’t believe it.” Kai stands in front of me. “You were the Sugarplum Princess all along?”

“I had no idea.” And I suddenly feel shy in front of the Prince. “But...I guess the greatest magic truly does come from within.”

With the spell now lifted, Captain Taehyun can recognize his best friend. “How -- I never knew it was you this entire time!” And the great and mighty Captain suddenly seems so tiny as he jumps at his best friend, engulfing him in a hug. 

“All’s well that ends well,” Major Rhythm says with a smile. “Princess, you should be able to use your magic to take us all home.” 

“So I will.” I don’t need the sword to wield my magic anymore, I simply wish for it, and we all magically transport back to Feyeriya, to the castle. The King is there, a tall man who looks like Kai! Soobin is also there, as well as Yeonjun the King’s advisor, and a boy near him who must be Gyu. The entire castle is decorated with pink and purple banners. 

“Our Sugarplum Princess has returned to us!” the King announces, and crowds upon crowds cheer for me. “We must celebrate! Gather, sweets from near and far! Let us have a grand banquet!” And everything seems to move on its own, as the King uses his own magic to change the stage. Before long, Kai and I are seated together on a long table, with all of our friends, and Yeonjun and Gyu are there as well. 

A grand stage is set in the middle, and everybody watches as different sweets and candies dance in front of us. There are chocolate bonbons from Spain, followed by Arabian coffee candies and Chinese cups of tea. A tall woman named Mother Ginger comes out with her many many children, and they dance together. 

Finally, Prince Kai takes my hand and leads me to the center, where he leads me in a simple dance. “If it weren’t for you, none of this would have ever happened,” he whispers, his hands locked with mine, his eyes not leaving mine even for a second. “I am incredibly humbled by your grace.”

“I...I don’t know what to say,” I whisper back. 

“You have made everybody’s wishes come true. But you have yet to grant your own wish. Will you be leaving us, princess? Are you going home?” 

And I pause for a moment, stopping the dance, though the music swirls all around me in my purple and pink dress. Kai’s right. He was a Nutcracker, given to me by a family friend, and the mice invaded my house. That is where I should be, with Grandfather and my family. But...being here, in this world of fancy and magic, has been an even bigger dream come true. On top of that, I have always had Kai, my Nutcracker, by my side to guide me. It is just as Terry had said. _ There’s a world full of wonders out there, and you deserve to experience them. _

“I want to stay,” I whisper. “I want to stay here forever, with you.”

“Then would it be so bold of me to ask you to marry me?” Kai asks. Then, he laughs. “Oh, this must sound so sudden! But you are a princess, and I am a prince, and I think it would only be right. Plus, I’ll give you as much time as you need before we make things official, there’s no rush. You still have so much of my kingdom to see.”

At the thought of Kai’s kingdom, I know I have my answer. “Yes, Kai, I will marry you,” I say back, and everybody cheers as he wraps me up in his arms. I can hear him laughing, and even just the sound of his laughter makes me happier than I’ve ever been in my entire life. Then, he leans down and kisses me, and I smile into his kiss, knowing that everything is right with the world. 

The sound blurs all around me. All I can feel are Kai’s arms around me, his lips on mine. And then, far off in the distance, I hear a grandfather clock chime.

My eyes fly open. I am still asleep on the sofa, still in my Christmas dress. When I sit up, I am back in the parlor, and it is the wee early morning hours of Christmas.  _ A dream. It was all just a dream.  _ I choke back a sob for just a moment. How wonderful of a dream it had been! I try to grasp onto thoughts of Prince Kai and the Mouse King, and then I turn to look at the curio.

My Nutcracker is still there, ribbon around his broken jaw, white choker on. I smile, then commit everything that I can to memory. It may have only been one adventure, and I will never get to marry Prince Kai and live with him forever in Feyeriya. But I still am the Sugarplum Princess. He called me by that name. Even a dream can’t undo something like that.

The house rises, and we check under the tree to see the gifts Saint Nicholas has brought. Then, we prepare for more guests that night, and soon, there is another rousing party for the ages happening. There are even more people here now than there were on Christmas Eve! I await Terry’s arrival, because I know he will be the only one who will want to hear my story of my Nutcracker dream. But when he arrives, there is someone right beside him whose face I know in an instant. His brown hair is parted perfectly in the middle, and he is dressed perfectly down to the nines in a black suit. And when he sees me, he recognizes me instantly. 

It takes him two seconds to cross the room. “Do you know who I am? Do you remember me?”

“Of course she doesn’t know you yet, I haven’t introduced you, silly,” Terry says, catching up to his friend. “I would like to introduce my best friend Kai. He just returned to the country after being away for a long time. His father owns a railroad company in the city.”

“It is truly a miracle that I am back home,” Kai says, and then he leans forward, for just a second, and whispers into my ear. “Isn’t that right, princess?” And in that moment, I know: either Kai is still my Prince, or we had the same dream, or one or both of those is true, but he remembers the adventure we shared. And now, he is here, in my reality. 

“It is so lovely to meet you, Kai,” I say with a curtsy.

He laughs, and it once again lights up my heart. “There are an awful lot of people at this party. Perhaps we could go for a carriage ride later? Just the two of us? I suppose we have a lot to talk about.”

I catch the gleam in his eye and I smile back. “That would be perfect.”


End file.
